Today we're releasing another 7-inch single from FRNT BZNZZ (Front Business), whose first pair of tracks on wax dropped June 2018.
You might recall that first release being a distinctly modern direction for the label: raw, electronic funk / boogie tunes that hinted not at the past (like Nick Kurosawa's EP, Home, which featured three covers of classic tunes from Kalapana, Bobby Caldwell, and Sam Cooke), but painted the future sound of Hawaii — "Honolulu night funk", the artist calls it.
This new single follows the same path with even more layers of complexity in the production. Spacey, moody, funky, "Separation Anxiety" is a worthy tune of FRNT BZNZZ's unending output (he dropped an 11-track digital album, Selected Light Works, earlier this year).
The B-side is no exception.
"Always Wanted" shines light on his vocals (one of my favorite singers in Hawaii, indeed). Angsty, melancholic, but still in line with the producer's own sound — one that stands apart in the modern boogie realm, a genre that can sometimes sound tame or too straight-laced despite its roots in funk.
I'm grateful to be working with such a talented artist. Ted (his real name) has taught me a lot in trusting my intuition, but also in persevering in something I really believe in.
I can't tell you how many people have thanked me for putting FRNT BZNZZ onto wax; after all, he's been producing this music since at least the early 2000s. It was just a matter of time (and determination) to lock all the details in and make it happen.
And even if I'm not able to release all the records that Ted and I really want to (not yet, at least – we're working fast as we can), it's satisfying to see these tunes reach ends of the Earth thanks to people like you who are reading this and listening to the music.
By the way, we've only pressed 350 copies of this one. Grab a physical copy in the online shop.
Artwork by Dana Paresa.